The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical interconnect devices for use between opposed arrays of contacts.
Interconnect devices are used to provide electrical connection between two or more opposing arrays of contacts for establishing at least one electrical circuit, where the respective arrays may be provided on a device, printed circuit board, Pin Grid Array (PGA), Land Grid Array (LGA), Ball Grid Array (BGA), and the like. In one interconnect technique, the electrical connection is provided by an interconnect device that is physically interposed between corresponding electrical contacts of the opposing arrays of contacts. However, the electrical connection may be unreliable due to height variations between electrical contacts of the opposing arrays, variations in thickness of a substrate supporting either of the opposing arrays or the conductive elements of the interconnect device, warping of a substrate of either of the opposing arrays, and the like.
At least some known interconnect devices use an array of elastomeric columns supported on a substrate. The elastomeric columns may be compressed to establish reliable contact between the opposing contacts. In some known interconnect devices, the elastomeric columns are conductive and provide the electrical connection. The interconnect devices are capable of accommodating size constraints, such as related to the reduced physical size of many electrical devices.
In known interconnect devices using conductive elastomeric columns, the elastomeric columns are held by an insulative carrier having coverlays provided on both sides of the insulative carrier to protect the elastomeric columns and provide mechanical stops for interfacing with the two electronic components connected by the interconnect device. The coverlays are extra layers of the interconnect device that add to the cost of the interconnect device. The interconnect devices are typically fixed within a frame and mounted to one of the electronic components. The frame and interconnect device both are removed from the electronic component to repair or replace the interconnect device. Additionally, because the interconnect device is fixed relative to the frame, the interconnect device may not properly seat or engage one or both of the electronic components. For example, one of the electronic components may be warped, causing some of the elastomeric columns to improperly connect to the electronic component.
A need remains for an electrical interconnect device that may adjust to the surface topography of the electronic components to which the electrical interconnect device is mounted.